


Matthias and Delilah

by thepheonixqueen



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 14:52:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6012468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepheonixqueen/pseuds/thepheonixqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A retelling of the story of Jorinda and Jorindal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Matthias and Delilah

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dellessa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dellessa/gifts).



**Matthias and Delilah**

Delilah looked over her shoulder as she hung another bundle of herbs up to dry and smiled softly as she saw Matthias leaning against the door frame of her little workshop. “Hello Matthias. I’ll be ready in a moment. I have to hang up two more bundles to dry before we go.” 

The man in the doorway just smiled and watched as she finished her work and straightened her workshop and tools. When she turned to him and shy smiled at him, he drew her closer and tipped her head up with a finger before gently kissing her cheek. 

Delilah scooped up a gathering basket she had made herself and placed her hand on Matthias arm. “I’m ready to go.”

As they strolled together through the village, all the matrons nodded and smiled to each other at the sight of the courting couple. Delilah smiled to herself, well aware that all the town approved of the match between her and Matthias. It was ‘such a good match!’ As though she cared about the land that Matthias would inherit from his father in time or the horses that he helped breed and train. She had loved him since they were little children and Matthias had scooped her up and sat her before him on his little pony. Her place helping her grandmother made her the future village healer and so it was seen as a proper match for the two of them. 

The fact they loved each other so much was simply a bonus.

“Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue

if you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.” 

Matthias smiled as Delilah began to softly sing. She had such a beautiful voice but she was always so softly spoken that few had heard her ever sing. It was rare treat that was often just for him. 

They strolled through the edge of the town and into the meadows that surrounded it that filled the space between them and the great forest. As they wandered, Delilah would pause and snip bits of plants and flowers, setting them in her basket carefully. Before too long, they reached the edge of the forest and set out on the path through it. 

Delilah sang as she gathered her plants with Matthias keeping watch to protect her. While the meadows were safe enough, there were wild animals like boars and bears in the forest. Once there had been wolves though none had come close to the village in years.

“Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue

if you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.” 

Matthias smiled and took her small hand in his, giving a small squeeze. “I do love you.” 

Delilah stopped singing and smiled up at him. “I love you too.” 

They continued through the forest with Delilah finding a few overlooked berries along the path that she shared with Matthias, feeding them to Matthias herself and giggling when he pressed kisses to her hand each time after he took the berries. 

Matthias was just thinking it was about time to head back to the village when he realized that he didn’t recognize where they were. They had never gone this far down the path before and nothing looked familiar. He drew Delilah close to his side and she stopped humming, looking up at him worriedly. “Matthias? What’s wrong?” 

Matthias looked around, “We need to head back. We’re too deep in the forest.” 

Delilah looked around and seemed to realise the same. She clung to his arm, holding tightly to her basket with the other, “I...I don’t recognize any of this. You’re right, we need to head back.” 

As they began to walk the opposite way, the path began to twist and turn in unfamiliar ways that they didn’t remember being there before. Delilah began to softly sing, her hand tight on Matthias’ arm as she grew more frightened. 

“Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn

While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm” 

Matthias for his part was growing more concerned as well. He gently wrapped an arm around Delilah wanting to be sure she was kept safe in this forest that somehow was turning unfriendly to them. 

They went a few steps more when suddenly Matthias nearly fell over as his foot stuck to the ground. He growled and tried to pull his foot away but his other foot stuck as well now. 

“Matthias! I..I can’t move!” 

“Neither can I. It’s okay. We’ll figure something out.” 

Delilah clung to  him now, her basket on the ground as the fear grew. She softly whispered as they clung to each other. “Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue, if you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.” 

“Always, Delilah. I will always love you.” 

“Well, well. What have we here? A courting couple? So far out in the forest? How foolish of you.” 

The sight of the older woman made Delilah draw back, she was no one from their village and the way the woman looked at her and Matthias was disconcerting. 

Matthias tightened his grip on Delilah, “Grandmother, can you help us? For some reason we can’t move our feet.” 

“Of course you can’t. My spell saw to that. Yes, you’ll do. Just what I wanted.” 

Matthias paled but held firm to Delilah at the word spell. “I will not do anything for you. Let us go!” 

The witch laughed, “It’s not you I want, boy! I always can use another songbird.” 

Delilah had buried her face against Matthias, afraid to look at the witch and quietly whispering brokenly as she tried not to listen. “Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play, We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way.” 

“Safe? Oh, I will keep you safe. Safe in a pretty cage, my pretty bird.” 

Matthias suddenly felt...nothing beneath his arm and he almost fell when he realized Delilah wasn’t next to him. He turned to try and find her but the witch moved forward as well. Beside him was Delilah’s basket with a little brown bird beside it, flapping wildly.  

The witch snatched the little bird up and popped it into a cage that appeared in her hand. “A pretty little songbird indeed.” 

Matthias stared at the caged bird in horror, “Give her back! Change her back!” 

Inside the cage, the little bird flapped wildly again, throwing herself at the cage. To Matthias horror when the bird began to sing, it was still with Delilah’s voice. “Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue, if you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.” 

The witch cackled and strode away, carrying his love away with her while he was unable to move. He tried to force his feet to move to follow but he could not. After many hours, his feet were finally freed and he charged into the forest desperate to find his love. Before he got too far, his feet stuck to the ground again and he could not move forward. He was able to step back however and he moved in a wide circle, trying to find a way forward to Delilah.

After hours, he sank to his knees in despair and screamed to the heavens as he wept. He staggered to his feet to find he had lost the path and stumbled through the woods determined to find a way to save his beloved. 

He finally left the forest to find himself in a meadow, but not the one by their village. Here a single small farmstead stood. He moved to the house to see if he could beg for food in exchange for work and to see if any would help him rescue his beloved Delilah. 

The door opened when he knocked to reveal a woman of middling years who seemed surprised to see him. “Come in, young man. You look near death with exhaustion. Come, sit by the fire. Tell me what has brought you so far into the forest.” 

Matthias staggered in and sat on the three-legged stool by the fire and let his story fall from his lips as his host filled a bowl with stew from a pot. 

“You ran afoul of the witch of the old castle, what a shame. She has terrorized many a couple in this forest. She is wicked and spiteful, desiring that all should feel the loss she did when she was spurned.” 

Matthias looked at the woman hopefully, “Is there a way to break the spell? I refuse to leave Delilah with her!” 

The woman looked thoughtful. “There is a way. Just the one. In the heart of forest there is a flowering bush that bears pure white blossoms. At the very top of the bush is a single red flower. Find the red flower and hold onto it tight and you will be immune to the witch’s spells. Touch the flower to your beloved and the spell will break. She will be herself again.” 

Matthias set the bowl to the side but before he could rise. “Sit and eat your stew. You will need your strength for what is to come.” 

He resignedly picked up the bowl and ate the stew before thanking the woman for her kindness and hospitality. 

“I wish you luck, young man. I fear you shall need it.” 

He strode out into the forest, moving ever deeper as he clambered over fallen trees and through thick bramble bushes. For days he walked, pausing only to drink when he crossed a stream or pond. Finally he saw a glow in the distance and moved towards it, afraid he crossed the forest and missed its heart. Instead he found a clearing that was aglow with sunlight streaming into the forest. In the center of the clearing was a flowering bush as the wise woman had said, surrounded by a field of roses and lilies.

He carefully moved past the thorns of the roses and did his best not to step on the lilies as he reached the bush in the center. There, barely opened from a bud was a small red flower. He gently plucked it and looked at it in his hand. It seemed so small but he had to trust that it would allow him to save Delilah. 

He turned around, making his way through the forest trying to find where he and Delilah had been when the witch stole her. When he found Delilah’s basket he picked it up, cradling it for a moment as he thought about happy they had been when they had headed out for their daily courting walk. Setting the small red flower into the basket atop the withered herbs and plants that Delilah had gathered, he set forth forward in the direction the witch had gone with Delilah. 

He walked for what seemed like hours before stumbling into a murky hollow with a small keep set in the bottom of it. He carefully set Delilah’s basket on the edge of the hollow and took up the small red flower again. He was not leaving without his beloved Delilah.

He slowly made his way to the keep, relieved that his feet didn’t freeze to the ground this time and eased open the door. To his shock, he saw what had surely once been a grand hall now buried under dust and grime with faded banners and the tables still set as though for a feast. 

“Well, well. How is it you are here, boy? My spell should have frozen you where you stood in the forest.” 

“Where is Delilah!? What have you done with her!?” 

“Her? You will never find her boy! Even I don’t remember who my songbirds used to be. You have the flower, don’t you?” 

Matthias brandished it, feeling foolish but was relieved when the witch stepped back warily. “Where is she?!” 

The witch cackled then turned and raced toward the back of the hall, through a door half hidden in shadow. Matthias charged after her, trying not to touch anything in the hall. When he reached the room the witch had run into, he stared in horror. The room was crowded with birds in cages!

At the sight of him, they all began to sing out in human voices in a terrible cacophony. He looked around frantically, how would he find Delilah with all these other birds drowning her out? She was always so quiet and softspoken. 

“Good luck, boy! Go ahead! Try to find her! But you only can guess so many times! Once for each petal on the flower! And when the flower is gone, you are mine! A fine fat rooster to roast!” 

Matthias whirled around looking for the witch but not seeing her. He looked at all the bird cages and despaired of ever finding Delilah in the giant flock of songbirds. He suddenly had an idea and blushed at the thought but it was worth a try. He cleared his throat and softly began to sing, “Lavender’s blue, dilly, dilly, Lavender’s green, when I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen.” 

All the birds began to fall silent as he began to sing as he moved around the room, having to duck in places from some of the cages. Soon the birds were all seeming to listen to him and he heard a faint sound.

“-love to sing, When I am queen, dilly, dilly, You'll be my king.”

He raced towards the sound only to find a winding staircase leading up to the second level. He tore up the stairs to find more birds in cages but no sign or sound of Delilah. He looked around the room carefully, some of the birds he could rule out at once for being brightly colored. He remembered Delilah had been soft colors like a mourning dove. 

He shuffled and tried again, “Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play.” 

“We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way.” 

He moved towards a small cage by the broken window where a small brown bird fluttered shyly within. He knelt to peer in and he felt the greatest relief when he heard her sing softly, “If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.”

“Delilah! Hang on! Let me get you out of there and then I will break the spell!” 

“No you will not, boy!” 

Matthias jumped at the shriek behind him, seeing the witch charging straight at him. Delilah flapped frantically in her cage. Without thinking, Matthias raised the hand holding the little red flower and the witch screamed as it touched her. 

With a loud scream, she turned to dust and collapsed into nothingness. Matthias gasped as a bright light filled the room and suddenly he was on soft grass when he could see again. He looked up and saw Delilah next to him, drawing her close to him.

“You’re back! Oh, Delilah! I thought I lost you. I love you, Delilah. I love you so much.” 

A soft laugh filled the air. “You have done more than I dreamed, young man. The witch’s spells are all broken. Thanks to you, these maidens are all free now.” 

Looking up, Matthias saw the wise woman he had met, surrounded by dozens of maidens. “I...I am glad they are free, although I am not sure what I did.” 

The wise woman laughed. “No need to explain. Take your bride and follow the path, it will take you home. I will guide the rest of the maidens to their homes as well.” 

Matthias turned to Delilah and she squeaked softly as he scooped her up in his arms. “I am never letting go of you.” 

Together they returned to their village and were soon married. There was never so happy a devoted and loving couple and they lived happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> The song used in the fic is from the English Folk song "Lavenders Blue".


End file.
